The Canary Cry (Rewrite)
by DCUnitedFanfics
Summary: A/U A Season 2 remake. Felicity's past comes back to haunt her in the darkest way possible. He father arrives to Starling City to kill her and Felicity fears more for Oliver and the others being harmed by her psycho father than being harmed by Slade Wilson. When Slade kidnaps her and injects her with a serum that turns her into a metahuman things get really crazy. *Deathsmoak*
1. Prologue

**I know that people are sensitive these couples of months and have mixed feelings towards Felicity Smoak no thanks to Season 4 but keep in mind that this is simply a fanfiction and I only write for fun because I know that none of this will never happen in the show.**

 **WARNING: This is a rewrite to my first story, _The Canary Cry_ and it takes place in an alternate universe. There will be a lot of changes to the first story, including some of the elements of the story; meaning you might get a noir feeling in it. Rated R for violent scenes, sex, language, scenes that might make your skin crawl and character deaths that will either satisfy you or make you cry like bitches.**

 **The prologue will be the only thing written in first person.**

 **Enjoy**

 ***Cue the piano music from the movie _Logan_ ***

* * *

I was scared to do it at first. I didn't want to. The many opportunities I refused because I thought I wasn't cut out for it but I had to. Not everything is a choice. Through time, being a superhero has never been a game. It was a nightmare. Heroes are never born. They're made. Just like Oliver, he was never born a hero. He was made. He fought his way to become what he is today. The Arrow.  
Five years in purgatory, he fought to survive and now fights to save people, even if it comes with a price. In general, every hero and villain has a price to pay. I learned that the hard way at the end when I took the mantle of Black Canary after my best friend died. I knew what I was getting myself into but I didn't care, not anymore. Sara Lance, the previous Canary before her passing, told me that having a name doesn't make me a hero. Having a costume doesn't make me a hero. Having powers doesn't make me a hero. It's about saving lives, doing what's right, taking a stand and not giving to anything or anyone that tries to tell you otherwise. Even if it means having to sacrifice what you love most. I learned that the hard way after having my heart die on me. And it still hurts but if it hadn't, I wouldn't be the person I am today.

It's the middle of the night. My lover and I walk out of the theatre after watching a romance movie. It's snowing. A drizzle of frozen white rain. Piles of white cover the edge of the sidewalk where we walk on.

I wear my black trenchcoat along with knee-length boots and a black sunhat. My lover wears his beige overcoat and gloves. He holds my hand in his, giving me security. I almost never feel safe even with him around. But I am grateful for him to be by my side despite the horrors I lived through ten months ago. Those were the horrors I wish to forget.

He leans his head towards me, kissing me on the lips hued in dark red. He holds me close, his warm giving me comfort. We ignore the world around with just a kiss but not so intertwined to not notice a man following behind us.

We exchange looks and pretend to be oblivious of it. We smile lovingly at each other as we make a turn to a dark gritty alleyway. The man continues to follow us. I have already seen enough movies to know what his moves are. He would follow us, take out his weapon and command us to give him whatever valuable we have in our disposal.

And that's what he does. It's a cliche. But there are moments where a cliche can be broken. The moment I here the clicking sound of the safety cap being removed, I turn to smack the gun out of his hand and scream loudly in his face. The force and vibration of the scream sends him back flying and skids against grimy and damp ground once he lands. He looks at me in terror. I've been been getting that look from my enemies quite a lot these days.

My lover smirks at me proudly before walking over to the man, grabs him by the shirt collar and delivers repetitive blows to the man's face while I simply stand and watch. The Wayne family walked through an alley similar to this one before being murdered, only the son left alive. We are not willing to be victimized like them. I have already been a victim long enough.

My lover's fist is already smudged with the man's blood. Once he is done, I walk over to them. The man's face is bloodied and now begs us for mercy. I already know the man's name. He is responsible for the deaths of two little girls. One age 4 and the other age six. One blonde with brown eyes and the other black hair and green eyes. Both taken from playgrounds at school. Raped. Killed. Butchered. And then their bodies stuffed in black trash bags before finally being tossed in the river where they were found by SCPD the next morning. His fingerprints on the plastic bag helped identify him. So it was no coincidence Slade and I were on a date at the area where the fucker lives.

Mercy? He does not deserve mercy, not after what he has done. He killed two innocent girls. Why? What did they do to deserve this? Why destroy the life of an innocent child to satisfy a selfish need? It's horrendous. It's disgusting. It even makes an honourable villain feel disgusted. It even made Slade feel disgust. I look down at the man with coldness filling my eyes and hardening what remains of my soul before raising my foot and stomping it firmly into the man's face. It's not wisest thing to do. SCPD would arrest us for attacking an unarmed man despite being previously armed. But it was the right thing to do. We saved a lot of little girls out there. The hunter became the hunted.

It's time for the predator to become the prey and for the prey to become the predators.


	2. Chapter 1: Who Am I?

**20 years ago...**

 _"It's okay, Felicity," she heard her mother faint, holding the knife in her hands and blood trickling down her arms and dripping to the floor from the end of her elbows. Felicity, a little girl of age 4 with short black hair and blue-green eyes, watched intently. She should do something. She should have stopped her. She wanted to stop her. But she didn't. She couldn't. By the time she got downstairs in her nightgown and clutching her Raggedy Ann doll to her chest, it was already too late. There was already blood on the floor. She simply stared, tears filling those green-blue eyes of hers. She did not scream. She did not cry. She simply watched. Red staining white. "Everything's going to be all right, baby girl," she said to Felicity before she falling to the floor unconscious. Felicity didn't remember much of what happened that night. All she could remember is finding her mother Evelyn Smoak with her wrists slit open and falling unconscious, and Felicity calmingly dialling up 9-1-1 for help._

 _"9-1-1, what is your emergency?" Felicity heard a woman ask on the phone._

 _"Mommy killed herself," she told her. Felicity waited ten seconds before hanging up the phone._

* * *

 **Today...**

 **10 months earlier... (before prologue)**

She woke up every morning at six o' clock but every morning, she would remain lying on her bed looking up at the ceiling with her forearm on her forehead, thinking about everything. Oliver. Diggle. Sara. Slade. Donna. Her mother. There was never a single day where she wasn't thinking of her mother. She would see her mother in her dreams, doing the same thing over and over again. Sometimes she would dream of Moira being murdered by Slade. As much as she didn't like Moira, the horrified look on Oliver's face when Slade skewered her with his sword was too terrifying to think about. Felicity sometimes wished she could have done something about it. She wished she could have topped him skewering Moira no matter how evil she was, just like she wished she could have stopped her mother Evelyn from killing herself. But none of those things happened.

After spending five minutes lying there, Felicity finally managed to get out of bed. Job started a 9 o' clock. The first thing she would do before heading to work was go out and do some jogging. A morning routine that was done daily. She slipped on her training bra and pink tank top along with black spandex pants and black sneakers with pink lacing. She then ties her hair back in her usual ponytail. She left her glasses on the nightstand next to her bed though. It would have been a hazard for her jogging while wearing glasses. Worst case scenario? Falling onto the pavement face-first and the glass compacted in the frame shattering into your eye. Felicity would rather not take the risk of wearing her glasses while jogging.

She jogged through Starling City Park. She considered herself lucky that there were already a few people occupying the park despite being too early. She never felt comfortable going outside by herself, especially at these early hours when the sky were still greyish blue and the sun still hid behind the clouds. She heard there was a serial killer hiding in Starling City Park, preying on small girls, between age 4 and 12. The killer's favourite a little joggers, children that do exercises with their mothers or fathers. If they were left unguarded, the killer would snatch them on the spot. He would rape and kill them. Stuff their bodies in a trash bag before dumping them in the river for a fisherman to find and report it to SCPD. It was sick, preying on small children, innocent children that did nothing wrong. The thought made Felicity want to vomit. And she did. She found a trash can near the park bench and threw up whatever contents she contained in her stomach. Oliver, Diggle and Sara were on the case but still haven't found any leads. All they knew was that the killer had a thing for joggers. Felicity was multitasking, exercising while keeping an eye on the perimeter for anything suspicious. So far there was no one hiding in the trees or bushes that could be a serial killer. SCPD and news media told parents to keep their children close. If not, don't bring them to the park at all until the killer was caught.

Stopping to catch her breath, she would look around just in case. Two adult joggers, a couple, ran past her as well as an old obese woman walking her golden retriever. The dog nearly tackled Felicity to the ground trying to lick her if the old lady hadn't pulled it back. Felicity was more of a cat person. So far, no serial killer, none that she could see. She would expect a serial killer to be someone with a dark hoodie but with all honesty. It could be anyone. A friend. A boyfriend. A girlfriend. A mother. A father. An uncle. A child. Anyone could be a serial killer or a serial rapist if you happen to push the wrong buttons. Just like her friend Jerome Valeska back in Gotham. He was just a normal circus boy before his buttons were pushed the wrong way and he committed matricide. Now he was spending the rest of his life in Arkham Asylum.

But nothing. No serial killer.

After the one hour exercise, Felicity returned home to get ready for work.

She took a shower first to wash off all the sweat from her body. It was a chilly March morning so she decided to take a hot shower. She washed her blonde hair with cherry and almond-scented shampoo and scrubbed her body with cocoa butter soap before washing it all off. Afterwards, she got out of the shower to dry herself off. She blow-dried her hair before getting dressed in a floral blouse and a pink pencil skirt with black pump heels. She tied a white pearl necklace around her neck and tied her hair once more in a tight ponytail. She looked at her reflection in the dresser mirror and sighed.

 _Who am I?_ she kept asking herself in her mind every time she looked at herself in the mirror. She always questioned her value to the team. She wasn't a fighter like the others, especially Sara. She loved Sara but sometimes watching her spar with Oliver and Diggle made her question her own worth to the team. Sara could do almost anything, even hack as good as Felicity. So that was a thing she kept asking herself every time she looked at herself in the mirror. Who am I? What am I to them?

Before leaving her apartment, she takes her anti-depressant pills with a mug of black coffee. She had been taking anti-depressant since she was a child, a year after her mother's death. Once she took her anti-depressants, she left the apartment.

* * *

Arriving to Queens Consolidated, Felicity walked out of the elevator. She was the only one in the elevator. When stepping out, she encountered herself with Adrian Chase, Oliver's district attorney. Chase was about Oliver's age. He wasn't as handsome as Oliver but he was a charming man all the same. He was representing Oliver's case after Isabel Rochev took over Queens Consolidated and handed the company to Slade Wilson. The man who killed Moira Queen was now CEO of Queens Consolidated. Despite the testament of Oliver and Thea Queen, SCPD couldn't find evidence that Slade used a sword to kill Moira so they couldn't arrest him. Oliver hired Adrian Chase to work his case, fighting to get the company back. They haven't been successful at the moment.

"Mr. Chase," she greeted him with the nod of her head.

Adrian Chase did the same. "Miss Smoak."

"Is Oliver here yet?" she asked.

"Yes. We just finished talking," he said, "We'll be having another meeting on Friday."

"I know this is none of my business to ask but how's Oliver doing? Is there any good news that you could have given him?" she asked.

Adrian sighed in deception. "I'm not going to lie, Miss Smoak. Things aren't looking as good as Mr. Queen hoped. To put it in simple words, Mr. Wilson and his own attorney us crushing us like bugs."

"Let me know if you need any help," she said, "I'm a hacker. I can find any information on Slade Wilson that can help you get Oliver's company back."

Adrian nodded, smiling at her gratefully though it looks a bit flirtatious than grateful "I'll give you a call then." He walked past her to the elevator.

She watched the elevators close in front of him. Oliver told her that Adrian was somewhat attracted to her. But of course, the man is married and Felicity doesn't do married men. She would have to remind him that the next time she saw him.

She headed over to her desk where her pride and joy await her. The computer and keyboard. She hated being the EA of Queens Consolidated, most of the time it was just her organizing meetings and evening plans for the CEO, doing layouts and bringing coffee. She felt a bit downgraded but the pay was good so she tried not to complain while still working. She considered quitting Queens Consolidated after Slade took over the company as CEO with Isabel being Vice President. However, Oliver convinced her to stay. He needed eyes and ears in the company. He needed Felicity to stay alert at Slade's activities. To find out what his next move would be. She felt squeamish about it. What's worse was that her desk was right outside the CEO office and the doors were made of glass, so she was being watching by Slade and Isabel constantly. They both knew that Felicity worked for Oliver as his hacker, coordinating searches and doing many things normal hackers couldn't do. It surprised Felicity how Slade didn't fire her for simply being friends with Oliver since he practically fired almost everyone in Queens Consolidated close to Oliver. Perhaps he needed collateral in case Oliver tried to attack him as the Arrow. There was no telling what Slade had planned. So far, the only thing Slade had Felicity do was fetch layouts, pass on his phone calls and bring coffee. Her hands sometimes shook every time she went near Slade but tried not to show fear. And also tried not to look at him in the eye.

"Felicity...Fe-li-ci-ty!"

Felicity jumped startled at the sound of Oliver's voice and looked up to stare at him. She didn't hear him enter the building this morning. She was too concentrated on her work that she didn't hear him. Oliver still had a job here in Queens Consolidated. Despite no longer being CEO, his family still owned the company. They couldn't toss Oliver out the window so he maintained a job at Queens Consolidated working behind a desk but in a different floor, not like Felicity, and he was only allowed to follow Slade's orders which were told by Isabel. Any contradictions would get him into trouble, or fired.

"Oh, um, morning Mr. Queen," Felicity stood up and patted down her pink pencil skirt.

"You okay, Felicity?" Oliver asked with a frown.

"Yeah, I'm just tired," she told him which was total lie. She was thinking about her mother lately which she hadn't done in a long time, "Late night jobs are sometimes exhausting, if you know what I mean."

Oliver nodded. He knew exactly what she meant. Last night, Felicity was up analyzing the Mirakuru serum Oliver brought to her and wanted her to send it to Caitlin and Cisco in Central City to make a cure for Slade Wilson and his lapdog of Isabel Roshev. Felicity already gave the Mirakuru to Cisco and Caitlin to have it analyzed for her back at Central City. They would call her soon to see what the Mirakuru contained and perhaps find something to reverse the effect. Right now, they just had to wait and act casual.

"Maybe you should take the rest of the day off and go home. Get some rest," he told her. Felicity bit her lower lip.

"I should but, unfortunately, I don't think it's up to me or to you to tell me that since you is no longer CEO," she sighed in deception, "Sorry if it offends you."

Oliver nodded in agreement despite not wanting to hear it. He was already reminded more than seven times by Isabel that he was no longer CEO of the company. "I know. Listen...I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at Slade. Whatever happens with me, has nothing to do with you, okay?" he told her lowly so no one else could hear. He was still upset about what happened to his mother. Slade killed her in cold blood. Felicity _really_ felt sorry for Moira now that she was dead and that Oliver lost his home, his sister, his club, his company and their headquarters. They gathered up everything they had from their headquarters before Verdant was shutdown. Felicity kept the rest of the equipment hidden at her apartment, except for the glass cases with costumes and bow and arrows. The rest was at the Clock Tower, their latest hideout. _No way in hell am I risking having the police enter my home to discover a bunch of Arrow stuff. No offense, Oliver._

"Yeah, I know," Felicity said.

"Mr. Queen."

Oliver's eyes rolled in annoyance and Felicity bit her lip again at the sound of Isabel's voice. She was standing behind Oliver and he had to turn around to face her. Isabel wasn't alone, however. Slade, also known as _Deathstroke_ , was with her as well. Just simply looking at him made her skin crawl and sent chills up her spine. The colour from her face drained out of her completely. _Crap._

"Our next board meeting is in the conference room at 9. Don't be late," Isabel said to Oliver who kept glaring at her all the while.

"...Of course not," he said, "We wouldn't want to disappoint our investors today, now do we?"

"Let's hope not," Slade finally spoke. Even hearing him made Felicity jump. His voice was deep and gruff, something Felicity wouldn't like to hear in her sleep. "The investors are very important and they expect our best behavior during the meeting. They are already aware of our strained relationship after Moira Queen's death and they would be very disappointed if we end up eating at each other's throats. If we do not make the best of it, we will end up losing the company."

Felicity hated to admit it but he was right. Any form of disagreement could be a great hazard for the company. Not that she gave a shit about losing her job but this was Oliver's company. She should probably start filing up her resumes at the hardware store across town just in case. Until then, they had to fight to keep the company afloat.

"Okay," Felicity heard Oliver say, "Board Meeting. Let's go." Then, he and Isabel walked away to the elevator and she was now alone with the most dangerous assassin in the world. _Oh motherfucking hell!_

Felicity insisted Oliver on wanting to help but already mentioned many times that was his battle and didn't want her or Diggle getting hurt. She didn't need saving from this though. All those people ever do was talk about investments and money, and competitions with other companies. Already, Oliver was secretly trying to ally himself with Ray Palmer to help him take down the QC into bankruptcy and get Slade and Isabel out. A good strategy. A good plan. Felicity still wondered how that was going to turn out at the end. She hoped Oliver knows what he's doing. She was worried that the whole Slade thing was getting to his head.

"Miss Smoak," Felicity watched Slade walk up to her desk and she immediately took a step back. He smiled at her but she didn't. _I don't trust him_. Oliver told her to never trust him. _He doesn't have to tell me twice._

"Yes, Mr. Wilson?" she asked nervously.

"Would you attend our board meeting today?" he asked and her eyes widened. Was he really asking her this?

"I'm an EA, Mr. Wilson," She told him the best excuse she could think even if it was the worst that came out of her mouth. "I simply do paperwork and files, and simply serve coffee."

"I am aware of that," he said, "The thing is I need your assistance. I need you to read out a few terms to our clients. And make a constructive argument towards any objections the investors plan to bombard me with."

"Well, you can certainly read and you certainly have a way of getting what you want, why can't you do it?" _Shit. Me and my big mouth_. Slade kept looking sternly at her and for a moment, she thought he was going to slap her "...or maybe Oliver?...or Isabel?"

"I would, but if you have not notice, my job has very tiring these days and don't seem to be in the mood for my clients so I am asking for your assistants. As for Isabel and Mr. Queen, I doubt they would agree," he said, "But let me confess, I do not want you to attend because I need you to, I want you to attend because I want you to."

"Why?"

"When I look at you, I see something different behind those glasses of yours. Something intriguing and very useful. You are quite lovely, have you realized it?" he said. Felicity simply stared at him. It had been quite a while since anyone thought she was pretty, even after Barry Allen ended up in a coma or even after Copper... _No, don't think about that, Felicity. Just don't. It's not healthy for you to think about the past._ "You are very lovely, Miss Smoak. Also, you are very intelligent. I need someone like you to attract clients."

"Are you asking to prostitute myself? Because I didn't come here to work in this company so I can sleep with strangers."

Felicity heard him chuckle deeply. In her head, she didn't think he was referring to that. _Stupid. Stupid. Stupid._

"In the board meeting, there will be men looking at you. They will see how lovely you are. When I ask them if they wish to work for me in the QC they will say _yes_. But they will not agree just for the investments, the Glades or to help the city. It is because they wish to be at your side. Of course, I have a great respect towards you since you are a woman." _What does he mean because I'm a woman?_ "I will certainly not allow my clients get distracted being near you. You will simply be there for entertainment, to manipulate our clients and perhaps they will end up eating out of our hands, and that's when we will have them working for us. I need you as a manipulation."

"So, technically, I'm a pawn in the meeting to trick the clienteles to work for you." He nodded.

Felicity really didn't like the idea of helping Slade manipulate and seduce other CEOs into investing but if it meant saving the company from bankruptcy for Oliver, she would do in a heartbeat. So she agreed to help him.

"Be ready to come up in a few minutes," he told her, "Also, I would need you to bring up coffee for us."

"Um...do you...do you mind if I ask who would be at the board meeting?" Felicity asked. It wasn't any of her business but she was curious.

"Raymond Palmer. Bruce Wayne. Alexander Luthor. Arthur Light. Mr. Wayne also brought in his ward which is enough of a headache for me," he turned to walk away, "Do not disappoint me, Miss Smoak." He left.

Felicity went to the bathroom to get ready for Slade's _scheme_ or whatever he was involving her in. She hoped the IT department paid her extra for this. _Oliver is going to be so mad at me for agreeing to this_. Lucky for Slade, Felicity brought some extra clothes to work just in case she spilled coffee or if she had any plans after work. A royal blue dress with short sleeves, knee-length skirt and a V-neck collar. The gap was a bit too wide so she slipped on a black tank top underneath so no one would look at her breasts. She put away her pink pencil skirt and her white floral blouse in her bag. As for her hair, Felicity assumed men did not like women with ponytails, so, she simply removed the ponytail and allowed her blonde locks cascade over her shoulders. Felicity also put on some lipstick. The glasses stayed on though. _If Slade suggests for me to take off my glasses, he has another thing coming_. Felicity sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror like she did at home. _What am I worth to_ them?

* * *

 **Yes, Adrian Chase is in the rewrite but is he the Prometheus from the show?**


	3. Chapter 2: Board Meeting

Felicity headed for the elevator as quickly as possible before the doors could close on her and took her up to the top floor where the board meeting would take place. The meeting wasn't until 9. It's only 8:40. She was early. She didn't care if she was early or not. As long as she got there.

Once she got to the top floor, Felicity stepped out of the elevator but not without tripping on her heels and nearly fell forward. Luckily, she was saved as a pair of hands that grabbed her waist and straightening her up.

"Careful, Miss Smoak, you wouldn't want to get hurt." It was Slade that kept her from falling face first to the floor. She then came to realize she almost fell in front of everyone present for the board meeting. _Kill me now. This is the last time I am wearing heels for work._ She also realized that Slade still had his hands around her waist so she quickly wiggled out of his hold. Felicity watched Slade looking up and down at her, probably admiring her dress.

"You look lovely," he smiled softly which kind of surprised her.

"Thanks," she bit her lip again. She would plan out her funeral later. In her head, she was dying of embarrassment.

"You forgot to bring the coffee, Miss Smoak," Isabel sneered at Felicity.

Felicity knew she forgot something but didn't know what it was until Isabel brought it up. Felicity wasn't going to risk falling again going up and down the elevator to get coffee. If Isabel wanted coffee, she could get it herself.

"Oh, sorry, the coffee maker broke," Felicity lied apologetic.

"Then, why don't you go down stairs to fetch some at the coffee shop across the street?" Isabel asked.

"Miss Rochev," Slade raised his voice slightly, which kind of startle Isabel a bit, "Let's not be rude today. We are all tired today but there is no reason to be rude to our EA."

"Exactly. _EA_ ," she gritted her teeth at Felicity.

EA as in Executive Assistant. However, Felicity would have to remind her that she wasn't as slave that had to do everything as told every waking moment.

"Miss Smoak will be joining us today in the board meeting," Slade said before paying attention to his investors. Bruce Wayne. Ray Palmer. Lex Luthor. Arthur Light. A young boy was sitting on a seat, probably age 9 or 10, wearing a professional suit just like the others and reading one of Charles Dickens' books. Felicity found it creepy that a kid was wearing an expensive suit and reading a Dickens books. She thought of Hannibal Lecter from the prequel movie. He must be Mr. Wayne's ward, as Slade mentioned earlier. If only Mr. Wayne knew that this was a company, not a daycare center. "I hope you don't mind. She is my assistant. Miss Smoak, I'd like you to meet Bruce Wayne, Ray Palmer ―."

"And I _know_ their names," Felicity said before he could finish. She wasn't stupid not knowing the names of Queens Consolidates' competitors. Of course, she didn't know the name of Mr. Wayne's ward.

"Um, Mr. Wilson, Miss Felicity Smoak is _my_ assistant," Oliver corrected.

"Mr. Queen, since this is no longer your company, she no longer works for you," Slade tells him. Felicity would correct him if he was wrong. But he wasn't. Oliver was no longer her boss. Slade was. And that made things even more unnerving for them both. "She works for me. And so do you."

 _But I still work for the Arrow, Deathstroke. Don't you forget that?_ Felicity thought. But of course, Oliver shut up after he said that.

"Now, let us begin our meeting," he said as they all entered the office. The ward stayed behind.

"Damian, are you staying put or are you coming?" Mr. Wayne said to the young boy reading. The boy didn't look up from his book. _So, his name is Damian. Weird_.

"I tend to find your meetings quite unamusing," the boy said.

"So you'll wait here?" he asked.

"No, I am simply expressing my thoughts," he clamped the book shut and got up. He walked passed Bruce Wayne and then Felicity Smoak who was holding the glass door for them. The boy named Damian looked up and down at Felicity. "Good morning."

"Would you like something to drink?" she asked him, any excuse that would aid her from attending the board meeting. The boy looked a lot like Bruce aside from having green eyes and slightly darker skin. "Hot chocolate or water?"

"No thank you. Didn't you say the coffee maker was broken?" he smirked before walking into the meeting room, leaving Felicity wide-eyed.

This caught her off guard. Damian knew she was lying about the coffee maker being broken. He was some sort of evil genius or something.

Oliver was standing right next to Felicity and he didn't seem pleased at the attire she was wearing. He kept looking up and down at her with a frown on his face as if he never saw her wearing these kinds of dresses before. Felicity worn those dresses before every time she became bait for another of his missions as the Arrow which was sort of fun but it was not cool, like at all. So, he shouldn't be surprised if he saw her wearing another dress right now.

"What are you wearing?" he whispered to her.

"It's a dress, Ollie," Felicity whispered back, stating the obvious.

"No, I mean why you are wearing it now?" he asks.

"Sorry. Mr. Wilson's orders."

"For what?"

"Beat's me," she lied.

The board meeting was kind of boring. Now Felicity knew why Slade wanted her to read out the terms out loud. He had already been standing half-an-hour explaining the current situation of the Queens Consolidated, how the aftermaths of the earthquake left disastrous economical results for both the company and the entire Starling City. Of course, many people had taken advantage of stealing money from banks after the earthquakes. They even stole a large portion of money from the QC which was now threatening the very existence of the company. Without investments, it was clear that QC would be bankrupted and threatened to be shut down permanently. It would make perfect sense. Of course, most of the explanation was making Felicity dizzy all the while and for a second she thought she saw Mr. Arthur Light nodding off and struggling to stay awake during the board meeting. Felicity pressed her lips together to avoid laughing. _This guy is just as bored of this meeting as I was._ She could also see Bruce Wayne's ward, Damian, trying to avoid laughing.

Felicity knew a lot about Arthur Light. He owned Light Industries back in New York. He was a scrawny-looking guy in a black and white suit, and had a very creepy pale face with ice blue eyes and beak-like nose. He somehow reminded Felicity of an old ally of hers while she was still studying at the MIT. _What was his name again? Oswald? Oswald Cobblepot_. _Yeah, that's him_.

Felicity wouldn't consider Oswald a friend. He was more of an acquaintance. He wasn't the kind of person you'd want to be friends with. He is a little bit ill-tempered and always liked being right in everything even if he's not right in _everything_. Also, he's sort of a conman and I do not make friendship with con-men like Cobblepot. We're still in touch though. He's, unfortunately, on my contact list on my phone. I only call him when I need him to do me a favour. One thing for sure is that Oswald is a man of negotiation and not a man of charity. If you want Oswald to do something for you, you have to do something for him. The very reason I try to avoid asking help from him as much as possible. One time, I asked him if he could tutor me on my Math homework, he asked me if I could model for him in a bikini in return and I was all like "Oh hell no!" and asked someone else instead. Oswald knows me to well, you can ask for any favours you want as long as it does not involve sex or me modeling in a bikini. He respects me.

But Arthur Light was another story. He was no Oswald Cobblepot. He was no friend of mine or an acquaintance. He was a bad man. And Oliver knew that too. He was arrested more than 40 times for aggression and rape and/or attempts of rape on young girls. One involved a girl named Carrie Kelly. _Poor girl_. Oliver was keeping a strict eye on Arthur Light for any signs of attempts towards her or Isabel. She just didn't see why Slade wanted that bastard as an ally for the Queens Consolidated.

Only 30 minutes later passed when Slade sat back down on his chair and eyed at her. _I think that's my cue to take his turn. Okay, Felicity, let's see what you can do. Don't go flirty in front of the investors. Just try to act like your natural self._ Charts appeared on the screen that was pulled down early before the meeting began.

When Felicity stood in front of everyone, she froze. _Not again_. It was that stupid stage fright she had since she was little, every time she had a spelling bee contest, a school play or a ballet recital. It was embarrassing for her. Felicity didn't even know what to say and everyone just kept staring at her, including Bruce Wayne's ward with the creepy green eyes. That was when Mr. Wilson gave her a clipboard with the papers she probably needed to read out loud. Felicity slightly turned to the chart but not turning her back on the others either. _One thing my mother taught me is to nerve turn my back to the audience._

"According to the charts, the ratings on our investments to Queens Consolidated is down by 59% which is ten times lower than the ratings that we had before which was 70%. The percentage of investments dropped drastically over the last two weeks," Felicity explained, glancing both at the papers and at the investors.

"And by what percentage was QC before the 59%?" Felicity heard Lex Luthor ask. She gulped nervously and tried very hard to keep her hands from shaking. She saw the boy whisper something to Bruce Wayne, only to be hushed.

"Um, two weeks ago, the investments on Queens Consolidated were down by 64% percent. The investments began to drop when the earthquake passed. It seems that the former investors of the company no longer wished to work Moira Queen after learning her involvement of the earthquake," Felicity read and immediately shut her mouth after the reading that last part. _What the fuck? Who the heck wrote this?_

"Of course, my mother had already apologized for the incident of the earthquake and wanted to prove that she can still do good for the city by becoming mayor of Starling City," Oliver said sternly. He seemed offended that people were still blaming Moira for the earthquake. _Damn_. "The least the people can do is giving her a bit of sympathy now that she's dead."

"They give you and Thea sympathy," Isabel retorted, "They don't really care about Moira. They simply feel pity over you two since both of you is still children."

"Sympathy is not really saving the company, is it?" the boy Damian sneered.

"Damian!" Bruce snapped, "Stop that."

He stayed quiet but Felicity could tell that he was not happy about being silenced. If she was in his head, he was probably thinking: _Bitch, you did not just tell me to shut up_.

"If the investments continue to drop, then Queens Consolidated will shut down indefinitely," Oliver said.

"And what do you think we should do about it?" Bruce Wayne asked, "It's your company now, Mr. Wilson, and you should know what should be done in this situation. Why don't you ask Mr. Queen since he was the previous owner of the company?"

She noticed Slade glaring at Bruce Wayne. It was not the first time. Bruce Wayne was a bit difficult to work with. Oliver told her so. He could be quite arrogant and broody. And he had a very bad attitude. Felicity could tell by the way he spoke to Damian. Slade did not seem to like working with Bruce Wayne. Felicity, on the other hand, had a very fearful respect for Mr. Wayne. He was kind of scary even though handsome, if you thought about it.

"I am practically pleading, Mr. Wayne," Slade told him before turning to Felicity. He wanted her to continue.

"I think what Mr. Wilson is trying to say is that he wishes to form an alliance with each of your companies. Wayne Enterprises. Lex Corp. Light Industries. Palmer Technologies. You are all known for your great companies. If you help us invest in our company to reach its 70% or more, you'll be rewarded with 40% of what the company earns..."

 _WTF? Is Slade really asking for this? Is he really going to sell out Oliver's company to these people without Oliver's consent? This is complete bullshit. Oliver is certainly not going to agree with this._

"You're kidding me, right?" Felicity heard Oliver say. She could see the hurt in his eyes. Oh God. "Slade, you're selling my father's company!?"

"He's not selling it, Oliver," Isabel stood up with her hands behind her back, "We're simply trying to invest this company back on float, with the help of other companies. Mr. Wilson will still be CEO of Queens Consolidated. The only difference is that 30% of what the companies owns will be transferred to the others companies, if they agree of course."

 _Hey, Miss Bitch-a-lot, it's almost the same thing_. Slade would still be selling out the company by giving them 40% of the stocks and to be honest, that didn't seem like a very fair negotiation for Oliver. Unfortunately, he had no say in this. He's no longer the owner, unfortunately. _Shit. Why did Slade involve me in this mess?_

"I don't think this is a good idea," Oliver said.

"You don't have a say in this, Mr. Queen," Isabel said, "You are no longer the owner of this company. Slade Wilson is now."

Suddenly, Oliver stood up and calmly left the board meeting, leaving Felicity alone with the others. _Oh, thanks a lot, Ollie_. Felicity knew what it meant. He was going back to the Arrowcave and lash out his rage on punching bags, the sticks, the salmon ladder and a few drinks before calling Diggle for his next mission. She would give him an update. _I just can't believe he left me here alone with these people._

"Please, forgive Mr. Queen, he is still mourning over his mother's death and is trying to cope." Isabel said with the same smug look on her face.

Felicity really wanted to rip Isabel's hair from her scalp at this morning, even if she might end up losing her head herself in the process.

"It's no problem," Ray Palmer suddenly spoke up, "but we're still not sure if we can trust uniting our companies with yours after your previous situation. We'd had to put a lot of thought into all of this, don't you agree, Mr. Wayne?"

"I believe so," he said. Finally, someone of voice of reason. "This does not change the fact that Moira Queen was infamous for her outrageous alliance with Malcolm Merlyn before the quake. What makes you think we can trust Queens Consolidated after everything that happened."

"With all do respect, Mr. Wayne," Slade spoke up, "The crimes committed by Moira Queen are not the fault of the company. Queens Consolidated shouldn't be held responsible for something one woman did. Her and Malcolm Merlyn."

"Yet that doesn't explain why we should investing a falling company that only offers us 40% of the stock?" Bruce asked, his eyes directing to Felicity instead of Slade. Damian and the rest of the CEOs are staring at her. Felicity looked at Slade nervously. He gestured her to go on. She didn't have anything else to say though. She was mostly reading from the clipboard Slade gave her. There was nothing else to read. She was being asked to improvise.

"Mr. Wayne, I think 40% is a very generous offer in the company's behalf," she improvised just like Slade wanted, hoping she didn't embarrass herself by accidentally babbling. "Like you said, we're a falling company. We can raise it to 45% but that's all we can offer."

Isabel gave Felicity an intense stare, the kind of stare that was warning her to be careful with her words. _She'll cut me into little pieces if I mess up_ , Felicity thought.

"We can agree on funding half but fully investing the company is nearly impossible, especially with the small offer your delivering us," Lex Luthor said.

"Excuse me?" Felicity's cheeks heated when he said that, "A bigger and more successful company offers you 20 to 10 percent of the stock, which is a lot less than what we're offering, yet you accept then the offer. But when a falling company like Queens Consolidated offers you everything they have, you decide to reject it?"

"A company that was run by the same woman who killed hundreds of lives at the Glades," he said.

"And where were you at the moment the Glades fell. You weren't there. I didn't see your name helping dig out survivors or rebuild what was destroyed," Felicity retorted harshly, "We're trying to move forward and keep the company afloat for the sake of hundreds of employees that can potentially lose their jobs and end up in the streets just because you rather take a half-ass offer when we're not only offering you half of our stocks but also the rights to decide what should be given to the public and what shouldn't be given, and the rights to have a second opinion of what goes on in the company. So you're basically getting most of the company. If that's not a generous offer to you, Mr. Luthor, using the Undertaking and the Glades as an excuse is not only personally offensive but it's also hypocritical and cheap-made -." Felicity covered her mouth after saying all of this. There was no taking it back. She already said what she had to say. Everyone stared at her with wide eyes.

"...I'm sorry," Felicity quickly apologized.

"Miss Smoak, you have no right to speak to our clients this way," Isabel almost snarled at her. Damian seemed to find it funny since he almost burst out laughing.

"Unfortunately, Miss Smoak is correct," Slade said. He looked at Felicity. "You don't need to apologize. If you do not wish to work with our company, that fine. But our offer is more than just generous and it's quite offensive that you indirectly call out offer small and mediocre. If we wish to save the company, allying ourselves is the best solution for us. If you wish to see it fall, I'll let you know that as if right now, we're not going down without a fight. You will have time to think if you wish to work with us or not. 23 hours and that's all I will give. Do you agree?"

"I do not agree with the fact this company was owned by Moira Queen before being handed over to Oliver Queen but this place _does_ have its appeals," Lex Luthor eyed at Felicity. She clenched her hand into a fist.

"We still need to think about our decision," Bruce said.

Slade smirked. "You can think about it over lunch then. I'm inviting." He stood up and adjusted his dark red tie before looking at Isabel, "Have you made reservations for lunch?"

"I thought that was Miss Smoak's job," Isabel mocked her. However, the joke was on her. There was something called the Internet which was something everyone had access to.

"I was unaware I had to make a reservation," Felicity said. Slade gave her a strange look. He wasn't really angry with her. He seemed puzzled that she didn't know she was forced to make a reservation for lunch.

"We will solve this on the way," he said. The others followed Isabel out of the conference room.

Felicity could hear the boy complain to Bruce Wayne about how the meeting was still boring but was still amused because of the argument. Felicity didn't see how a fight for the company was funny. "The executive assistant is cute though," he had said, "not _your_ type though."

"And what would you know what my type is?" Bruce asked.

"I know very well of your taste in women," Damian said.

"And what makes you think you can talk to me like that?" Bruce said sternly. The boy only smirked.

"Well, I am just a _ward_ , now am I? I'm not officially part of the family."

"I should have left you back home with Alfred."

"Maybe you should have. I find Pennyworth more entertaining than your meetings and yet he stills bores me to sleep."

Felicity cleaned up a few things. Papers scattered on the table and the screen still pulled down. She couldn't believe Slade made her do that bullshit. She was really mad at him right now. She jumped when she turned around and found herself face to face with Slade Wilson once more.

"I'm sorry if I messed up, Mr. Wilson," she apologized in babbles though she didn't actually mean it.

"It's all right," he said, "If it were me, I would have punched Mr. Luthor in the face already."

"Would you care to join us for lunch, Miss Smoak?" he asked.

"I have a lot of work to do, Mr. Wilson," she told him, "Besides, I'll order lunch in some place less expensive, if you don't mind. There's this new meal at Big Belly Burgers across the street I wanted to try. Also...who the hell brings a kid to a board meeting?"

"Mr. Wayne apologized early for that predicament," he said, "But since the boy is his ward, he thought of showing him around before adopting him."

"I think he should reconsider," she pointed out, "Has he seen the movie _Orphan_ or _Joshua_? Or _The Omen_? He better pray that that kid doesn't end becoming the next Hannibal Lecter."

The papers suddenly slid from her fingers and fell scattered to the floor.

"Crap," she grumbled before kneeling to pick them up one by one. To her surprise, Slade was also kneeling on the floor, helping her pick up the papers. "I got 'em."

"I thought you'd needed help," he said.

"Thanks but I can handle this myself," Felicity snatched the papers from his hand and gathered them all in hers before standing up. He stood up as well and gave her a frown. She didn't want him helping her. She didn't want him anywhere near her.

"Have I done something to offend you, Miss Smoak?" he asked.

"Oh, jeez, what do you think?" she asked sarcastically, "I was used as a pawn to persuade men into working for you only to find out I was helping you selling out the company to the Queen's competitors."

"I am not selling the company, Miss Smoak," he frowned at her.

"Sure looks like it," Felicity retorted, "Now I feel like I just betrayed my friends."

"Mr. Queen no longer owns the company, Miss Smoak, which means you no longer work for him."

"Even if Oliver no longer owns this place, I still work for him in other ways, if you know what I mean...and not in a sexual way before you say anything," _Why the hell did I say that last part?_

"I take not much else."

"Look, I understand that you and Oliver have some kind of feud for what happened at Lian Yu but I have limits to how much I can get involved. I help Oliver take down villains. I don't help villains take down Oliver. And I will not allow you to use me as a pawn against my friend. The next time this happens again, I am quitting Queens Consolidated, do you understand?"

"So, I'm guessing you won't be aiding me in the next board meeting," he chuckled. _He really thinks this is funny. He's enjoying this. He did this on purpose, I know it. How dare him!_ Felicity found Bruce Wayne's ward more tolerable than this man.

"Yeah, that won't be happening again," she ranted before leaving the conference room, "Ever!"

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid_. Felicity should have known it was all a trick, making her an accomplice of selling the Queen's company. If she ever had to go through that again, she was bailing the city, not caring what Oliver would say. Felicity would not be toyed with anymore. Slade was going to know that Felicity was not _that_ blonde innocent and naïve IT girl he thought she was. Felicity hated him for that. _He's going to pay for this...right after I have my lunch at Big Belly's Burger_.

* * *

Felicity heard there was a new special. Cheese n' Steak Burger. The good thing about Big Belly's Burger was that it was nearby. She simply had to cross the street and walk two blocks. She ordered her burger along with a bottle of water and a chocolate milkshake. She liked chocolate. Betty always gave Felicity her usual order which was bacon cheese, so, she was surprised when Felicity told her she wanted to try the new special today. At least she knew she liked chocolate milkshake. Felicity wondered if Rachel would like Big Belly Burgers. She promised her she would take her here on Friday. Felicity always asked permission before taking Rachel out. Maybe she would like Big Belly Burgers.

"So, how's your mom?" Betty asked.

"Um, Donna's fine. She says she might come down here to Starling City to visit."

"She better not wear that dress she wore here like last time," Betty hissed, "I almost got sued for public nudity."

"She wasn't even naked," Felicity chuckled.

"Yeah, but did you see the damn dress she was wearing?" She then disappeared into the kitchen.

Felicity remembered. Donna came here in a blue veil dress that was showing her bra and panties, and the manager almost called the police and nearly got Betty fired. Felicity even told Donna to never enter dressed like that again. But Donna was a cocktail waitress working at a strip club. Can you blame her?

"I'll tell her to wear something appropriate when she comes here."

"Felicity?"

She froze at the mention of her name. It wasn't that serious. It was just the name. But it's the person who said her name that freaked her out. She recognized the voice from 20 years ago. A voice she feared of hearing again.

Felicity turned around and there he was, giving her the smile. The smile that tormented her in her nightmares for more than 20 years.

"Aren't you going to give the old man a hug?"

Colton Smoak. Her father.

"Colton. You're here?"

"Colton? Wow, I'm a bit disappointed you called me that. I expected for you to at least call me _Dad_."

"Well, that is your name...What are you doing here?" Felicity asked, making sure her voice wasn't squeaking. She felt the knot in my stomach tightening. _Why can't he just go away?_

"I came to see you after all these years. I heard you were living here in Starling City and I thought that you and I could catch up."

"I'm actually working," she lied. She had an hour of lunch break. "I only have a five minute lunch break."

"I thought we might talk for a few minutes."

"Yeah, but as you can see. I'm very busy, so, we'll talk later," she told him, quickly grabbing her take-out bag and my milkshake. She needed to get away from him as soon as possible. She didn't want him anywhere near her. She didn't want anything to do with him.

"Felicity, wait..."

Felicity ignored him and walked out of Big Belly Burgers as quickly as possible, trying to get a good distance from him. She tried very hard not to cry as she crossed the street (looking both ways first, of course) and returned to Queens Consolidated. She wasn't planning on eating at her workplace. But now that her father was back, she didn't have much of a choice. She don't want him here. He had already ruined her life. He was the reason her mother's dead. Felicity never wanted to see him again as long as she lived.


	4. Chapter 3: Handprint

_Felicity once had a Raggedy Ann doll when she was little. She used to call her Annie like the musical movie. She used to hug her every night when she was too afraid of the dark to sleep. But mostly when she was afraid of her father. Her mother and father used to fight a lot. She always hid under the bed so none of them would find her. On this occasion Felicity accidently left the door to her bedroom open and could see her parents fighting in the hallway. They kept yelling at each other. She stayed quiet under the bed._

 _"You're nothing but a sick fuck, Colton, and that's all you'll ever be!" She heard her mother yell._

 _"Ah, fuck you, Evelyn! You're so fucking useless! Now where's Felicity!?" She heard her father shout back. This made her flinch at the mention of her name._

 _"You're not going near our daughter, you bastard! You leave her alone! Do you hear me!? You leave her the fuck alone!"_

 _They always fought. A few minutes later she got out from under the bed. Her father had gone. He was probably in one of those bars, drinking vodka and looking at other girls dancing. When Felicity went to the living room, she saw her mother sleeping on the couch with the television on. The thing was that one of her eyes was a dark purple hue._

 _"Mommy? Are you okay?" Unfortunately, she was too deep asleep to respond. And Felicity placed her Raggedy Ann doll next to her._

* * *

"Did you enjoy your lunch, Miss Smoak?" Felicity jumped at the sound of Slade voice again. _Damn. Why am I so easy to scare?_ She did just encounter her father today so it justified the reason why she was jumpy. She didn't hear Slade either. He and his future investors probably returned from their lunch, one which she refused to join after that little stunt in the conference room. Also, she had enough hearing from the creepy kid that was with Bruce Wayne.

"Yes. I did. And you?" She lied. She could barely eat down her lunch after encountering her father and her stomach kept twisting into knots. She was afraid she would throw up for forcing the food down her throat.

"Very good. Mr. Queen did not join us though."

She knew this would happen.

"He stepped out. He said he had very important things to do," she smiled.

He stayed silent for a moment and Felicity frowned.

"Do not take me a fool, Miss Smoak," he said, "You and I both know where he is...You are no longer wearing the dress."

After eating her lunch, Felicity went to the bathroom to change from the blue dress and got back to her white floral blouse and pink pencil skirt but kept her hair down. Also, she took off her heels. Her feet were killing her. She thought her soles even blistering.

"Why, yes, since the meeting is over, I thought it would be best if I changed back into my old clothing."

His brow furrowed and she noticed the Adam's apple on his throat going down before going back up again. He just gulped. And his fingers kept tapping at her desk. _Was he nervous? If he is, why?_ He has never looked nervous before. He was always stoic.

"...I came here to ask if you could copy some files for the next board meeting," he says, placing a thin yellow folder on her desk. _I guess I have some work to do_. "I need twenty copies."

"I'll get them ready for you in a few minutes then."

"Good." He looked up and down at Felicity again. She didn't like it when he's looking at her like that. She just got back from the creepiest encounter of her life. The last thing that she needed was for some psycho like Slade Wilson staring at her.

Felicity stood up from her rolling chair and walked around the desk to step in front of him in her bare feet. He was probably 6 feet tall, a lot taller than Felicity and taller than Oliver. She wondered if he also has muscle like Oliver does underneath that suit... _Not that I want to see his muscles_. Well, not that she thought he wouldn't look hot under his suit. _I mean, I don't think he's hot. Well, I would think he's hot if he wasn't a murderer/mercenary. I just think Oliver's better. I mean...what the fuck, Felicity Smoak?_ She could just slap herself right now if she spoke that out loud. Thank God she didn't.

"Why?"

"Why what?" he asked, his eyebrow rising and his posture becoming straighter.

"Why torment Oliver so much?" Felicity asked. She knew everything about Lian Yu. Oliver told her. But she wanted to hear Slade's side of the story. "I mean, I know that you suffered on that island more than him but, don't you think he's had enough already?"

Slade shook his head. "Not enough," he said, "I won't stop until Oliver loses everything and suffers the same way I suffered."

He took her hand in his and kissed it. Felicity almost felt sorry for him in a way. Whatever happened at the island, aside from the Mirakuru and Shado, must have really damaged him, to a point where most of his humanity was completely gone.

"Mr. Wilson." They turned to see Isabel standing a few feet away from them and she was staring sternly at Felicity. "We have to discuss our evening plans for tonight, if you don't mind."

"Of course." He released Felicity's hand and walked into his office which used to be Oliver's office.

"By the way," Isabel walked over to Felicity and she took a step back, afraid that she might hit her or something for being near Slade, "I just checked in with maintenance manager, the coffee maker is just fine."

"Hmmm. My mistake then," Felicity smiled softly at her. _Bitch._

"Don't let it happen again, Miss Smoak." Then, she entered Mr. Wilson's office, flipping her brown hair back.

 _Hmm. I wonder how long they have been fucking each other in bed, not that I think they've had sex before. Have they? Why the heck am I thinking of that? What the heck is wrong with me?_

Felicity headed over to the room where the copy machines were. She didn't even want to know what was on these files. She was not even gonna read them. She was just going to copy the files, hand them over to Slade and get the hell back to her usual work as the EA girl, fetching layouts, making appointments and serving coffee. That was her usual habit these days. She wished she could go back to hacking now. She was so desperate to leave the building tonight and get back to her other job as the Arrow's hacker. She felt more like herself when she was there. After she copied the files, she headed over to Mr. Wilson's and placed the copies and the original document on his desk before heading back to her own without making any conversation or eye contact with him.

She continued doing her daily work. Well, honestly, she was multitasking. While doing work on Queens Consolidated, she had been also doing some investigation on William Tockman who escaped jail in Central City and was trying to hack every bank security system, including the bank account for the Wayne's. She hoped he wouldn't mess up her computer system again like last time. She had to get a new computer system and install a new and very effective firewall to keep him (or any other hacker) from breaking into the system again.

She looked up from her work and gasped when she saw Bruce Wayne's ward standing right in front of her across her desk.

"Oh my God, please don't do that!" she yelped, "You can't just sneak up on people like that. You're going to give someone a heart attack one day."

"Did I startle you, Miss Smoak?" He asked bluntly while staring at her plainly. _This is the last time I'm watching **The Omen** in the middle of the night_.

"Um, yes," Felicity said awkwardly, "But I'm good. Is there something I can help you with? Damian, is it?"

"Yes," he nodded, "I was hoping you can tell me where my father is. Alfred and I have been waiting in the car for more than 20 minutes and hasn't showed up yet."

"Well, I think he's in Mr. Wilson's office, talking a few things," Felicity said.

"Oh," he said, almost sorrowfully, "I'm guessing he still needs a word with Miss Rochev."

"...Would you like for me to call him?" Felicity asked while grabbing the phone and offering it to him. The boy shook his head.

"No, thank you," he said, "I'll just sit over here and wait."

He sat in the waiting room and continued reading his Charles Dickens' book. Felicity felt bad for the boy. She was aware of Bruce Wayne's reputation of dating and sleeping with a lot of women and felt that wouldn't be a good influence around children. Especially the creepy Damian kid. But Felicity knew it was not her place to give Bruce Wayne fatherly advice, unless she wanted to get fired. Her only job was to keep her mouth shut and work as an IT/EA. So, she continued her work, still feeling bad for Damian.

Felicity dozed off every once in a while. She was so exhausted. Arrow was hard work. She really needed some rest. She would nod off every now and then. Felicity sometimes drank a mug full of coffee or slap herself in the face to keep awake. But eyes were heavy. She closed her eyes for a moment. _If I could just close my eyes for one moment...Nope. Work first. Sleep later._

She opened her eyes.

She was no longer in Queens Consolidated.

She was at her old home...in Nevada. The same old house where her mother died. _How did I get here?_

The house did not seem to change at all since she left it. She was in the living room. There's the same old red paisley couch and the wooden coffee table with stacks of magazines and news-papers on it. The TV was on. They were showing _The Wonderful Wizard of Oz_ and Dorothy was singing _Somewhere Over the Rainbow_. Felicity used to watch that movie a lot when she was little. Her favourite character was always the Cowardly Lion _. Why am I here?_

She heard small footsteps and immediately turned around to see a little girl standing right behind me. She gasped and jumped back.

The girl was very small and seems about four years old. She was very pale like a sheet of paper, almost as pale as Rachel. Her eyes were a shade of green-blue like Felicity's and her hair was black as coal. Felicity recognized her face. _Is that...me?_

"Hello...?"

"She's dead," she said. The younger Felicity seemed calm when she said that as if she was not afraid. She was not afraid when her mother died. It was just sad. Felicity did not even scream that day. Felicity had black hair back then...like her father's.

She walked away from the living room and headed for the kitchen. Felicity followed her.

When they entered the kitchen, Felicity saw her. Her mother. Evelyn Smoak. She almost forgot what she looked like until now. She simply lay there on the floor. Her green-blue eyes were open and lifeless, and her blonde wavy hair tousled around. Her wrists were slit open and smeared in blood just like Felicity remembered. She tried not to cry at the sight. _Why Mom? Why did you kill yourself? I thought you loved me._ _You said you would take care of me. You said you would protect me and not let anyone hurt me_.

But she noticed something... _Is that?...Is that a slash on her throat_?

"He's coming." She heard her younger version gasp in fear and they both hear footsteps approaching the kitchen. At the door that leads to the back porch. Who's coming? "We need to hide. We can't let him find us."

Before Felicity could see who was coming, she ran upstairs to the second floor and followed her. Felicity don't remember running upstairs after her mother died nor did she remember hearing someone in the house besides her. She was home alone that day. Just her and her mother. There was no one else here.

Felicity followed her younger self to her old room. It was just as she remembered. Pink walls with a white bed, porcelain dolls and plush toys. Felicity had a ballet music box on her old dresser. Felicity used to dance to the music. She never took it with her when she was brought to Aunt Donna. She thought it would bring her bad memories if she took her old stuff with her.

"Psst."

Felicity saw the little girl crouched inside her old closet behind her old dresses and coats.

"In here," she said.

Felicity entered the closet, crouching down next to her and shut the closet door, dim light penetrating through the open slits. She looked through the slits as if watching for someone to coming. _Who's coming? Who or what are we hiding from_?

"Felicity," she and the child looked at her. "Who's here? Who are we hiding from?"

"...He killed Mommy," she said and Felicity's eyes widened.

The closet door suddenly burst open and hands dragged a screaming the child out of the closet. Felicity screamed as well and tried to grab her but the door shut at her face before she could reach for her. She slammed her fists against the door, screaming "No!" The screams died out and it was dead silent. _What the hell was that? And what she was talking about? Who killed my mother?_ No one could have killed her mother. She did it to herself. They were alone. They were alone. She killed herself.

The door burst open again and hands grabbed Felicity by the hair. Felicity screamed as she pulled out from the closet and was being slammed against the walls, her face crashing against the pink painted walls. She heard the bridge of her nose crack and blood smeared the walls. Felicity screamed and screamed and screamed. She tried to see her attacker's face but every time she tried to do so, she was being slammed against the walls repeatedly. Felicity was now slammed to the window, the glass cracking as my face crashed against it.

She was soon thrown to the floor and kicked in the stomach. She coughed at the kick. Her attacker straddles her and he took a hold of her throat. _No. No, I don't want to die. I don't want to die especially here._

Her attacker brought out a knife. Felicity screamed, covering her face with her forearm as the blade cut skin.

"Felicity!" And she was slapped across the face.

Felicity opened her eyes and there was Oliver staring down at her.

She was no longer back at home in Nevada where she was being attacked. Felicity was in Queens Consolidated in Starling City and she was sitting on the floor with her back reclined against the wall. Everyone working in QC, including Oliver, Slade and Isabel, Mr. Wayne and his ward were staring at me in shock. It was all a nightmare. It wasn't real. And yet, she was still shaking from the shock. Felicity noticed her glasses were lying shattered on the white tiled floor. She touched the bridge of her nose and looked at her hand. It was smeared with blood. Her nose is broken like in the nightmare. Her blouse was covered in blood as well. Felicity also noticed the windows behind her desk were cracked and smeared in blood as well. And a potted plant was knocked over as well with dark earth scattered. _What the hell happened? How the heck did I end up lying here on the floor away from my desk? And who the fuck slapped me?_

"Felicity...are you okay?" Oliver asked her with a worried and scared look on his face. He was the one who slapped her.

Trembling, she sat up from the floor. "What happened?"

"We were just going to ask the same thing," he said. "What happened?"

"I ― I can't remember. I ― I don't know," she stammered. She was so scared. "Oliver, what happened?" I asked, not caring if I was only allowed to refer him as Mr. Queen when at work.

"I was on my way here...Isabel called me...She said she saw you sleeping on your desk when you suddenly began to scream...You were pulling at your hair...You were hitting your face against the windows. I came here as fast as I could and had to put you down ―."

"Oliver, I don't know what happened. I swear. I don't ―." Felicity suddenly began to cough and gasp.

"Someone get some water and call a damn ambulance!" Oliver shouted out. Diggle was here as well. He began to dial 9-1-1 and left to find water.

"The rest of you..." She heard Slade shout out, "Get back to work! None of this is your bloody business!"

They all scrambled away in panic. They're probably just afraid of being fired from their jobs. Even Bruce Wayne also walked away with Damian. Damian nearly stopped to approach Felicity but Bruce placed a hand on his shoulder and told him it was time to go. They left.

"Mr. Queen...I suggest you take Miss Smoak home," Slade said sternly but he kept staring her with concern though his expression still looked stone cold.

"I'm _so_ sorry," Felicity apologized, more to Oliver. "I ― I don't know what happened."

"Listen, Felicity. You're okay," he assured her.

"Oliver," Diggle came back with a bottle of water in his hand, "I called the ambulance. They'll be here in a few minutes. You okay, Felicity?"

"I'm fine," she nodded. Diggle gave her the bottle of water. She opened up the cap and drank a big gulp. It felt refreshing going down her throat. She didn't need to go to the hospital. _I'm fine_. She simply broke her nose hitting her face against the windows. She could feel the pain now. Her head was throbbing.

"She needs to go home, Mr. Queen," Slade kept insisting. Oliver simply glared at him. _Please don't punch each other in the_ face, she begged in her head, _Please don't punch each other in the face_.

"She needs to go to a hospital," Oliver said.

 _Are they really going to fight over a decision whether I should go home or to a hospital?_ If she wanted to go home, she would go home. If she wanted to go to the hospital, she'd go to the hospital. Truthfully, she wanted to go home and lie down.

"Her amount of physical damage is not grave enough for her to be taken to a hospital but traumatic state is enough to send her home and rest. I suggest you do so," Slade argued sternly.

"I don't take orders from you, Slade." Oliver stood up and straightened his jacket before stalking over to Slade. _Oh God no. Come on, Oliver, please don't do this here._

Felicity quickly stood up on her feet and got between them to keep them from fighting each other, placing both of her hands against their chests which was quite embarrassing for her.

"Okay...um...guys. Stop," Felicity told them both. "This is not the time or the place to be going all vigilante everywhere right now. Right now, you are Oliver Queen, the former rich boy that just lost his house, his mother and his company. And this guy is Slade Wilson, the guy who took your company and is planning on selling...which is not really helping in this conversation, I don't know why I said that out loud while he's still standing right here next to me and why am I still talking, I don't know why...Listen, I really don't need to go to the hospital. I'm practically fine. I only have a broken nose."

"Actually, it's dislocated, not broken," Slade corrected Felicity and she rolled her eyes in annoyance. She quickly took her hands from them both.

"Anyways, I actually would like to go home," she said to him, "Can I go home? I'd like to go home."

"I'm not stopping you, love," Slade said. Felicity really would prefer if he stopped calling her that. _I'm not his love. I'm nobody's love._

Oliver sighed. "I'll have Diggle cancel out the paramedics and he'll take you home."

"I can drive home by myself," Felicity said stubbornly, "I don't need anyone to drive me home. I have a car you know."

"For once, I agree with Mr. Queen," Slade said, "You are in no conditions to be driving, especially after what happened."

"But I'm fine ―."

"No buts, Felicity. We're leaving now." Oliver grabbed her by the wrist and was dragging her away like a little kid after being caught eating sand from the playground, not that she had done it.

"Miss Smoak."

Both Felicity and Oliver stopped in their tracks when they heard Slade call them back. The turn to face him. _What does he want now?_

"One more thing," he trailed off. Before Felicity could react, his fingers grabbed the bridge of her nose and she felt a crack that made me yelp in pain. She touched the bridge of her nose where it had been broken only to find it straightened again. "You might want to bandage it when you get home."

Still glaring at him cautiously, Oliver dragged her away.

"That hurt," she muttered.

Diggle took Felicity home in his car. She didn't mind Diggle driving her home. She just didn't want to be treated like she was made of glass. She only broke her nose. She wasn't invalide. Once Felicity got home, she was greeted by her neighbour, Mrs. Fernandez that lived right nextdoor. She asked what happened to her nose. Felicity lied to her, saying that she accidently fell and hit the pavement on the way home. She didn't see Diggle bring her here. Then, she asked for her cat Rusty. He ran off again. Felicity told her she didn't see him but she would keep an eye open if he showed up again. Rusty was always running from the apartment. Perhaps he's getting tired of being suffocated by his owner's smooches and over-feeding. That would definitely give Felicity a reason to run away. But he'll turn up soon. He always turned up.

Once entering her apartment, Felicity took a shower. Hot showers always made her feel better after having nightmares of being thrown around like a ragdoll in her old home when in real life...she was being thrown like a ragdoll in QC. _That was awful. Now everyone's going to be staring me like I'm crazy. Crazy Felicity Megan Smoak, beating herself in her sleep._

To her, it felt too real to be a dream though. She took off her clothes that were stained in her blood and threw them all in a hamper for her to wash later. She relaxed under the water that spurted out from the showerhead. It calmed her down a bit, driving bad thoughts of her past away in a soothing hot rain. She still felt a bit sore. Whatever happened must have hurt her pretty badly. She cleaned the blood from her face. Slade was right. She needed to bandage it. _It really hurt when he forced it back into place. It hurt like hell._

After finishing showering, Felicity took a large towel to wrap it around her body and another one to dry her hair. She opened up the cabinet door and rummaged through for bandages, cotton balls and rubbing alcohol to clean up the infection. She shut the cabinet door and looked at herself in the mirror. _God. I look awful._ She looked like she was jumped by thugs in an alleyway and got a good beating.

Her right cheek was bruised purple, her left eyebrow was cut, the bridge of her nose was grotesquely cut and darkened after the blood dried and her lower lip was cut and a bit puffy. _God. I can't believe I walked out of QC like this_. The worst part was that everyone saw. Also, her glasses were broken. Luckily, she had spares. She hissed when cleaning up the cuts, especially the one on the arm, with rubbing alcohol and patched up the bridge of her nose and the cut on her eyebrow. _Now I look like a dork_. _Well, I always looked like a dork wearing my glasses but now I feel more like a dork wearing both glasses and a bandage on my nose_. _Nerds in high school have never looked better right now._

But Felicity quickly noticed something around her neck. Bruises. She remembered the dream where the attacker grabbed her by the neck. But no one grabbed her by the neck in real life, right? She took a closer look at the bruise. A handprint. But this print looked too large to be made by her hands and it was also too big to be Oliver's hands. Could it have been Slade? No. Slade was in his office with Isabel when this happened. He didn't even come near her except for when he straightened her nose. Besides, this handprint seemed a few inches much smaller than Slade's hands. _Then, who's handprints are these?_

* * *

 **I** **know that it's weird adding Damian Wayne to the story and that most people hate Damian Wayne but I feel like writing his character will add something interesting in the story, if you guys trust me, because I know some readers will have some doubt about me adding Damian Wayne to the story. But trust me, guys, I know what I'm doing. Just be a bit patient.**

 **Anyways, thanks for reading _Black Smoak_ and its rewrite. I still have a few chapters to correct and another chapter of _Black Smoak_ to add so...I'm getting there.**


	5. Chapter 4: Momma Smoak

Felicity couldn't sleep that night after finding the handprints on her back and shoulders. She stayed up all night on the sofa, watching _Friends_ with Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer. She drank coffee and laid on the sofa, keeping the TV at the volume where she wouldn't fall asleep. Felicity didn't want to sleep again that night. She didn't want to have the same nightmares and ending up waking up to realize she self-harmed herself again. She never did anything like that before.

She kept dozing off every now and then. She had to close her eyes every now and then but since she feared of having the same nightmare again, she always snapped them open. She was always relieved that she was still in her apartment and not in the old house where her mother died. She wanted to sleep but was too scared to sleep.

It was already morning. Felicity wanted to go back to work but Oliver insisted she took the day off until she felt better. She felt better. _I'm just tired, that's all_. But there was nothing she could do about it right now. She did just as Ollie is told her. _I'm taking a sick-day_. She made chicken noodle soup for lunch and had a few movies to watch to keep myself from getting bored.

Felicity sat on the floor and began to do abdominal exercises. 1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10. She did three more sets of it before continuing to do push-ups. _Just because Oliver, Roy, Diggle and Sara train, doesn't mean that I can't. I'm part of the team too._

After doing a bit of exercise, Felicity went to brush her teeth when she heard a knock on her door. It was probably her neighbour again looking for Rusty...again.

"Mrs. Fernandes," She walked over to the front door with her toothbrush in hand and unlocked the door, "I've already told you, I haven't seen your _caaaaaaat_..." When she opened the door, she found herself face to face with Rusty. He was a slightly fat orange cat with green eyes. Felicity wasn't surprised of Rusty, she was surprised of the one who was holding him.

"I thought someone might be looking for him." Slade.

"Holy shit."

Felicity immediately snatched Rusty from his hands and slammed the door in his face. That was a bit rude in her part. But he was a mercenary. Can you blame her?

Felicity petted Rusty's head and held him tightly as she hid behind the kitchen counter. Of course, it didn't guarantee Slade won't bust the door down for slamming it in his face. _I'm so going to die...and in my pajamas. Great._ She was only wearing her Raggedy Ann pajama pants and a lavender tank top. Also, no bra. _I pray he did not see anything behind it._

"Miss Smoak, I suggest you open the door before I tear it open," his calm voice was muffled behind the door but his threats were clear as he knocked on the door.

"Could you please go away?" she asked nicely.

"No."

"How the hell did you find me!?" she snapped.

"Your profile in Queens Consolidated is not very private as many people think it is and quite easy to hack," he said.

"Yeah? Well, I'll be moving soon and I'll change my address. In fact, I'm not going to give out my address at all," she told him, "Can you please leave before I call the cops...or Oliver?"

"He will not even know I was here."

"Are you going to kill me?" she asked, better safe than sorry.

"Not today," he said. Not today, as in one day. "We'll have time for that late. We have other things to discuss."

Felicity cautiously came out of hiding but with one of her kitchen knives in her hand. She put down Rusty and slow went to the door. She opened it. Slade was still standing there. _Damn it_.

"Slade, what are you doing here? What do you want?" Felicity asked.

"To talk," he brushed pass her and entered her apartment, snatching the kitchen knife from her hand and bending it like paper before throwing it to the floor.

"There's something called a telephone," she reminded him while shutting the door, leaving it unlocked just in case she needed to bolt out of her apartment, "You should try it some time."

"A lovely place you have here. A lot of space" Slade just entered uninvitingly to her apartment and broke one of her kitchen appliances. _How rude of him_. She immediately went over to the kitchen to wash the toothpaste from her mouth and returned to the living room. He was already sitting on the sofa without her permission. He took notice of the purple foam matt on the floor. "You must be working out a lot in the mornings."

"I - I," she stammered, "I'm going to put on a bra..."

She quickly went to her bedroom and closed the door. She thought of locking the door to keep him from going near her and call Oliver immediately. The phone was right there on her nightstand. She could climb out the window. However, Oliver informed her that the Mirakuru gave Slade enhanced hearing. If Slade heard the clicking sound of her bedroom door being locked, he would come storming through the door. Felicity pulled down her tank top and slipped on her bra, connecting the clasps behind her back.

"I was afraid you might have escaped."

Felicity's eyes widened as she turned around and nearly screamed when she saw him standing there in her bedroom. She quickly crossed her arms over her chest.

"What the fuck!?" she snapped, "What are you doing!?"

Slade ignored her as he looked around her bedroom. "I'm becoming impatient. Besides, it's not like I haven't seen a woman's breast before, Miss Smoak."

"I don't care if you've seen your mother's vagina! You can't just enter my room like that!" she snapped angrily though she was more surprised than angry. Surprised that Slade entered her room without making any noise. When Slade didn't move, Felicity marched over to him and tried pushing him out of her bedroom. "Get out of my room!"

Chuckling in amusement, Slade walked out of her bedroom.

Felicity place a hand to her forehead, taking deep breaths. Slade just entered her room and saw her in her bra. That was invasive and made her feel violated. If she wore a bikini at the beach, she wouldn't mind men staring at her body because she was giving consent of looking. But if she was in her bedroom putting on a bra in private, it was because she didn't want anyone seeing her, especially when she was halfway putting on her bra. She did not give Slade any consent to enter her room while she was putting on a bra. What Slade did was invasive and disrespectful.

Once she had her tank top back in place, she left her bedroom and went back to the living room where Slade remained sitting on the couch.

She pointed a finger at him. "You...will _never_ do that again. Ever."

"Unless I feel like it," he said.

"No, absolutely not!" she snapped. "That was my room. My privacy. And you invaded it. That is not okay! Whatever the hell is you want to tell me, tell me now and get your ass out of my house."

Slade shook his head in disappointment. "Temper, Miss Smoak. I rather if you don't test my patience. You wouldn't want me to paint the walls of your lovely home with the cat's blood now do you?"

"...You're so leaving after this," she said.

Felicity sat on the opposite side with her knees up to her chest, practically shielding herself from him even though he wasn't really looking at her chest. He was grabbing the TV remote and turned on the television. "What channel is the news?"

"Channel 4. Can you pass me my jacket?" she asked. Her red jacket was on the coffee table. "I feel violated."

"It's a bit warm in here, is it not?" he asked skeptically.

"Yeah, but technically, I'm not properly dressed and I already had _someone_ see me half naked," she hissed. Slade chuckled at her response before handing over the red jacket to her. Felicity quickly put it on.

"Have you watched the news this morning?" he asked.

"...I haven't even looked at a cup of coffee yet."

Slade was looking up and down at her again before he turned his attention to the television. Felicity really wished he would stop looking at her like that. Rusty jumped onto her lap and rubbed his head against her chin and Felicity petted him in return.

The television was on Channel 4. The news. A woman with red hair speaking through the TV in front of QC. A reporter. Reporters were sometimes liars to the public media. When they can't get a good story, they just have to make up their own which is kind of stupid and it can risk getting lawsuits on them. The CEO's have accepted Slade's offer and decided to invest on Queens Consolidated. _Oh my God. He did it. Slade actually did it. He actually got what he wanted._

"Impressive, isn't it?" Slade smiled amusingly at Felicity's shocked face as he turned off the TV. Felicity caught a glimpse of Oliver coming out of the building with photographs taking pictures of him and reporters harassing him about how he felt about Slade's decision of selling the company to separate investors. He didn't respond but Felicity could tell he was not happy about this.

"Your scheme actually worked," Felicity said in utter shock. "...Why did you come here? Not that I don't want you here. Well, technically, yeah I don't want you here, at all. So, why are you here? What do you want with me? Do you want me to congratulate you on your plans of taking the Queen's company because I'll assure you I won't, not even if you torture me to death, which I hope you don't do to me right now."

Slade chuckled. That made her nervous. And it was kind of scary since she lived by myself and the only thing Felicity had to defend herself with was Rusty. _What am I going to do? Throw the cat at his face? Nah. That will just make him angrier._

"I came here to see if you were feeling better," he said. Felicity frowned at him.

"Why?"

"You took a very bad injury yesterday at Queens Consolidated," he said, "I came here to make sure you were feeling all right."

"Why should you care? I mean, I work for Oliver who's also the Arrow. I think you already know that right now. Technically, everyone associated or related to Oliver Queen is an enemy to you."

He chuckled again. _Why does he find me amusing?_ "You are a very smart girl. No wonder Oliver keeps you around. I was warned that you spoke too much but I never expected a chatterbox."

"Is that bad?" Felicity asked. She didn't know people were complaining about her talking too much. _I think I know why my teachers used to send me to the corner of the classroom in kindergarten. They must have thought I was bothering the entire classroom with my constant chatter._ But was it really that annoying to everyone, including Oliver?

"Some people simply do not have the patience to put up with your chatter," he said. The way he said it made Felicity feel offended. Putting Rusty down on the floor, she got up from the couch and headed for the kitchen. The soup was already boiling on the stove. Besides, she wanted to keep a good distance from Slade as much as possible.

"The cat seems to like you, Miss Smoak," he said.

Felicity didn't respond to him. She ignored him and turned off the stove. He should know that the cat liked her more than he liked his owner.

"Miss Smoak," he called her.

"I thought you didn't have the patience to put up with my talkative self, so, I decide not to speak till you leave," Felicity said sternly.

"Have I offended you, Miss Smoak?" he asked.

"Jeez, what do you think? You know, this is the second time you asked me that when you already know the damn answer to it. You just called me a non-stop chatterbox," She said sternly, turning to face him. She realized he was standing a bit too near the kitchen. He could easily grab the knives to kill her. _Why isn't he making a move then?_ "...Believe me, Rusty likes me more than he likes Mrs. Fernandez. I don't overfeed him nor do I give him baths."

"Does your neighbor overfeed him?" he asks.

"More than five times a day," Felicity told him, "She also gives him too many baths. Mrs. Fernandez has Alzheimer. She can't really remember the things she does. Every time she gives him another meal he already ate, he would hiss at her or simply hides from her."

"Interesting. Would you be placing her in a home then?"

"I am not responsible for what happens to her to be honest. I mean, she has a son. Both of them are owners of the building and he should be the one responsible for his mother and her illness."

 _Why can't you just leave? I have bigger problems right now_. She had to go to the police soon and report that her father was in Starling City. She didn't want to deal with Slade right now. _Two men harassing me. Not good_.

Felicity tried to ignore him and open up some distance but he kept getting closer which was annoying the hell out of her, staring at her intently. But what made her go on red alert was when she felt a hand brush her blonde hair and Slade asked why she had bruises around her neck. Felicity quickly grabbed one of the knives in her hand again and turned to face him, aiming it at his chest. She didn't care if it wouldn't kill him.

"Back off...please," she said to him, almost begging and her voice shaking. He grasped the blade in his hand, twisting and bending it. The sharp edged blade sliced through his flesh and blood began to seep from the wounds. Felicity tried to keep a good hold at the handle but he was too strong and he managed to wrench the knife from her hand and throw it away.

Felicity glanced at the door that was clearly unlocked and she quickly bolted away from the kitchen. She tried to run as fast as she could but her speed was no match for his. He grabbed her by the upper arm and slammed her against the wall. Felicity cried out as he held her there, his fingers digging into her skin. That hurt like hell. _Don't scream. Don't scream. Don't scream_.

"You're hurting me," she repeatedly, "You're hurting me. Please."

He smirked. "Maybe that's my intention."

"Are you going to kill me now?"

Slade kept staring at her. Felicity was shaking, for the fear of being strangled, adding more bruises to her already bruised neck. She didn't mind though. She would sacrifice her life for Oliver and the others. But simply the idea of being killed so brutally made her want to cry.

"Did you do this to yourself?" he asked, his fingers tracing the bruised skin.

"No," Felicity said, failing to keep her voice from shaking.

"Who did then?"

"I―I don't know. I found them after I took a shower...Please, don't tell anyone. And if you're going to kill me now, get it over with."

"I'm not going to kill you, not yet," he said, "There are few things that need to be adjusted first."

"What adjustments?" she asked. She didn't understand. And this caused him to chuckle again.

Slade smirked as he inched his face towards her. Felicity immediately turned her head flinching. "You'll seen soon enough, love." His hold tightened around her arm. She whimpered in pain and fear. "Don't worry. It will only hurt...a lot. But it will be over before you know it." He said this while tucking his hand beneath her pajama pants and began to tug them down. Felicity knew what Slade was planning to do while at her apartment and she immediately shut her eyes tightly, waiting desperately for him to get it over with.

They heard a knock on the door. It must be Mrs. Fernandez asking for her cat again. Rusty's right here so I can use him as an excuse to get away from Slade. Felicity looked at Slade in warning. _Would he kill me if I tried to answer the door?_

He nodded in approval and he released her. She could tell he was a bit disappointed over the interruption. _Thank God_.

"I'm guessing Mrs. Fernandez would like her cat back," he said.

Felicity walked over to the front door and opened it but the person at the door was not Mrs. Fernandez.

She squealed in delight and embraced Felicity tightly. She squealed in shock. "I'm so happy to see you! Oh, my beautiful girl!" she squealed. _Oh my God. Donna_.

"Your neighbors seem very friendly, Miss Smoak," Slade complimented almost mockingly.

"Mom?" Felicity squeaked. And Slade's eye widened in surprise.

Felicity was not surprise. Donna always appeared without calling first. You could never know when she would show up. She was wearing her blue cocktail dress with her breasts lifted up and her skirt at mid-thigh. _Oh my God. Why is she dressed this way? Didn't I tell her to dress more appropriate when she comes here?_ _Also, what is she doing here? Why can't she call like a normal person? And the fact that there's a psycho here in my apartment, so...This is certainly not my day, now is it?_

"Mom...what are you doing here?" Felicity asked and Donna released her.

"I came to see you, for a visit" Donna smiled before taking out her iPhone from her purse. "Didn't you get my text?" She showed Felicity the text. One problem. She never actually sent it. The message was still on edit.

"Mom, for you to send a text message, you have to press SEND, on the text," she said.

"Oh. No problem. I'll do it right now." she says. Donna pressed the SEND button and Felicity's phone made a _ding_ sound. Donna entered the apartment with her luggage.

Donna didn't notice her injuries until now.

"Oh my God, Felicity, what happened to your face? Oh my God, and your neck!" she gasped in shock as she examined it, turning Felicity's face here and there in her hands.

"It's nothing, Mom," she lie to her, "I'm fine. It was just a small accident."

"You look like you got hit by a bus."

"Bus. Car. Truck. A lot of things. Unfortunately, what hit me was a wall," I tell her.

"And a bunch of windows," Slade intruded in the conversation. _Did I say he could talk? No_. He had no right to talk. That's when Donna noticed him. _Oh God no. Please, earth swallow me whole now._

"Oh, and who is this?" Donna asked as she looked up and down at Slade. No matter how handsome Slade was, Donna would always find a physical flaw that will supposedly determine if that person is good or bad, not that I think he's handsome. Like for example, the eye-patch. Donna is probably assuming him as a pirate or some soap opera villain. If only she knew he's no soap opera villain. "Is he your boyfriend? I didn't know you had someone staying over."

"What? No, no, no, no, no," Felicity stammered, "He's not my boyfriend...I mean, he's not staying over...I mean, we're not...This my boss."

"I'm Slade Wilson," he introduced himself, taking Donna's hand into his. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Donna Smoak," she introduced herself. "Likewise...Oh my God. You're Slade Wilson. You're the new CEO of Queens Consolidated. I've seen you on the news with Oliver Queen. See, Felicity complains that I don't pay attention to her job. "

"It's funny. Miss Smoak's expedient never mentioned she had a mother."

"Well, I'm her aunt, actually. Her mother was my sister. She died when Felicity was four years old. She always calls me _Mom_ since I practically raised her."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

 _Okay...this is way too far._

"Okay...I think it's time for you to go now, Mr. Wilson. Thank you for stopping by." Felicity guided him to the front door, almost pushing him out.

"We still need to talk business at QC, Miss Smoak," he said calmly as she pushed him out the doorway.

"Yeah, you said it. At QC. Goodbye, Mr. Wilson. I'll be very busy..." And she closed the door and put her back against it, "...planning my funeral after dying from embarrassment."

Felicity and Donna sat on the sofa. They were watching _Big Bang Theory_ and laughing out loud. Donna served the soup Felicity made. She didn't want her doing so much labor after her injury. _I think that's why she came here to Starling City. Some bigmouth told her about the incident at QC and he came here to make sure I was okay_. Donna Smoak. _When she hears that someone tries to hurt her kids, she'll let out Momma Bear in ten seconds flat_. Like the time some diva girls at her high school pushed her down outside the premise. Donna saw everything when she came to pick her up and gave the girl a good smack in the face. Of course, Donna got banned from the school premises. She's been with Felicity for so many years. She even had to put up with the idea of Felicity wanting to go the MIT University where she got 4.0 GPA. One of my biggest fears was ending up like a cocktail waitress like her mother or Donna, so, the many years of headaches in MIT were worth it.

"So, what happened to your face? And the bruises on your neck" Donna suddenly asked the same question again.

"It was nothing, Mom. I just my face with the wall."

"Yeah right, like I haven't heard that one before. Tell me, was it him?"

"Who was?"

"The guy that was here this morning, with the eye-patch. Mr. Wilson."

"What? No, Mom. He didn't hurt me. He didn't even touch me." Felicity lied. If Donna didn't knock on the door, Slade would have gone too far. Slade Wilson was capable of murder. But if he wanted to kill her, he could and he would have just a few minutes ago. Of course, he had another idea in mind and Felicity was glad it was interrupted. But she knew that the incident at Queens Consolidated was not his doing.

"Sweetie, I need you to tell me the truth," she insisted, "We don't have to call the police if you don't want to. Just tell me the truth. Because if I find out this guy has been hurting my baby, I'll be going full Momma Bear on him."

Felicity didn't want that. _Never mess with a guy full on Mirakuru._

"Mom, I promise you. Mr. Wilson didn't hurt me. This happened at Queens Consolidated but he didn't lay a hand on me. I promise."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"...Can't you tell me?"

Felicity sighed. She didn't want to tell Donna about the nightmares that caused to physical harm herself but she didn't have choice. She couldn't lie to her. Donna was practically her mother.

"I fell asleep on the job. I suddenly began to have these nightmares where my mother died. I saw her dead on the floor and then I myself as a little girl. She kept saying 'Mommy is dead' and that 'He killed Mommy. Then we heard footsteps. We both ran up to my old bedroom where we hid inside the closet. But whoever it was. He grabbed me and began smashing me against the walls. When I woke up, I was lying on the floor with a broken nose. I had smashed my face against the windows. Oliver Queen had to slap me to wake me up."

Donna stared at her in shock.

"Oh my God, Felicity."

"Is it supposed to mean something? Dreams always mean something. I don't remember what happened to my mother," Felicity was tearing up, "I simply saw her wrists slit open. I did not see anything else. Mom, if you saw something I didn't see, I'd like to know because I can't sleep just thinking about."

"I don't know, baby," she said and embraced her, "I wasn't there when it happened. I wish I had."

"There's something else, Mom. When I was being attack, I heard Colton's voice yelling at me. He was saying that if he can't have me, no one can."

The name of Felicity's father made Donna's blood run cold. She had every right to be afraid of Colton. He was dangerous. That's why Felicity left Big Belly Burgers as fast as possible, knowing that every second they spent alone would be painful. If Donna found out that Colton's here in Starling City, she would want Felicity to leave and go back with her in Nevada where they would report him for violating the restraining order. But Felicity didn't want to leave. Starling City. It was my home. She already had a life here and didn't want Colton's arrival ruining it for her.

"Mom, could it be possible that Colton killed my mother and she didn't kill herself?" she asked.

"...I don't know."

They both heard a phone buzzing on the coffee table. Felicity picked it and took a look. It's Sara. She needed Felicity at the Clock Tower ASAP. She needed to get dressed then.

"Oh, Mom, I need to go somewhere," Felicity ran to her bedroom to get dressed. Unfortunately, Donna was trying to stop her.

"But I just got here. Besides, aren't you injured?"

"Mom, please, it's just a broken nose," Felicity said, "Oliver was just being over-dramatic. He was even going to send me to a hospital. I'm not invalid. And don't worry. After I'm out, I'm all yours. We can go to the movies. Hang out and do girls stuff. Right now, I really have to go."

Felicity dressed herself in a white V-neck blouse, black pencil skirt and her red jacket. She brushed her hair and tied it in her usual ponytail and put her glasses on.

"Are you staying here?"

"Actually, I already a hotel room. I came here to stop by."

 _Really? That's odd, even for her._

"But you know, I came here to visit," she said before giving Felicity a kiss on the cheek.

"Okay, well, if you're staying here for a little while, please remember to lock up when you leave. I don't want you leaving the door open like last time you came here," Felicity warned her.

"Sorry I left the door open when I left."

"You let a deer in and I had to call animal control to drag it out of here. It ate the sheets from my bed."

"Hey, that was a one-time thing," she giggled.

"Lock up, please," Felicity said before leaving the apartment. She was a bit concerned about leaving Donna alone. Slade already knew she had a family member and he might plan to use her against her. She needed to warn Oliver. Also, there's the fact that my father is here in Starling City. He could easily hurt her. Felicity couldn't stay silent for long.


End file.
